Rumors are popping up about a possible Sony bombshell at this year's E3 game show. VG247 reported earlier that it has learned from inside sources of Sony's plan to partner with either Gaikai or OnLive to allow video game streaming on PlayStation hardware. This could mean by the end of the year, PlayStation gamers could have the option to stream games rather than play them locally which is actually cheaper than buying a game on disc for $60.

If for some reason this report is true and Sony strikes a deal with Gaikai or OnLive (preferably OnLive,) then PlayStation gamers would be in for a treat because they would be able to play games that are not available on PlayStation consoles. Imagine sitting around your beloved PlayStation 3 or PlayStation Vita and playing the awesome Metro: 2033 that is only available for PC and 360? That would definitely turn heads.

To add fuel to fire, SCEE PlayStation Plus Content Manager, Ross McGrath, tweeted earlier in the week that everyone who hasn't subscribed to PlayStation Plus as of yet should do so now, if even to begin with a 3 month subscription for starts. Could McGrath be gearing everyone up for some video game streaming goodness or was he referring to something else altogether? E3 is less than two weeks away. By then we shall have an idea what is truly going on.

What is OnLive?

It's a cloud gaming platform that debuted in 2010. Games on the platform are rendered and stored on remote servers, which means all you need to play some of the top high quality games is an Internet connection, a normal non-gaming Windows PC, Mac OSX 10.5.8 or later, Android smartphone and tablets, or an iOS device.

So far over 50 publishers have released games on the OnLive platform, with over 270 games being available since this time of writing.

What is Gaikai?

Gaikai is not as robust and powerful as OnLive, since the platform doesn't allow users to play the full version of games over the Internet. The main purpose of Gaikai is to play demos via the cloud and purchase the full game through the Web browser which would then be shipped off to you.

The service which began in 2008 is now available in 12 countries in North America and Europe.